[ FDA DRUG SHORTAGES TRACKER ]

A drug shortage is a quality failure with a body count.

Live FDA drug shortage data (openFDA), grouped by status, availability, and therapeutic area. The FDA’s own root-cause analysis puts manufacturing and quality problems at the centre of the shortage crisis — which is why SPEQ treats the shortage list as a quality-system signal, not just a supply-chain one.

1,000
Active shortages tracked
844
Current
155
To be discontinued
214
Flagged unavailable
21% flagged unavailable · latest update 2026-07-27 · source: openFDA drug/shortages
NEW SHORTAGES POSTED · MONTHLY

By initial FDA posting date. openFDA lists active shortages, so older cohorts thin as entries resolve.

ACTIVE SHORTAGES BY THERAPEUTIC CATEGORY · TOP 10
WHY THIS SITS UNDER QUALITY, NOT LOGISTICS

The FDA’s 2019 report Drug Shortages: Root Causes and Potential Solutions found the dominant drivers are not scarcity of raw materials but a lack of incentives to produce, and manufacturing/quality problems that force production to stop. Mature quality systems — the difference a QMM assessment measures — are what keep a line running.

The economics of quality →FDA QMM framework →
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1,166 matching shortages
DrugCompanyTherapeutic areaAvailabilityStatusPosted
Fentanyl Citrate InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnalgesia/AddictionLimitedCurrent2012-01-01
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, ChewableSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryAvailableCurrent2023-07-14
Morphine Sulfate SuppositorySuppositoryPadagis US LLCAnalgesia/Addiction—To Be Discontinued2026-07-23
Etomidate InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnesthesiaUnavailableCurrent2022-10-05
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, ChewableSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryAvailableCurrent2023-07-14
Succinylcholine Chloride InjectionInjectionFresenius Kabi USA, LLCAnesthesia—To Be Discontinued2026-07-23
Rocuronium Bromide InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnesthesiaAvailableCurrent2023-02-15
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate CapsuleCapsuleSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryLimitedCurrent2023-07-14
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate CapsuleCapsuleSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryLimitedCurrent2023-07-14
Sterile Water InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyOtherAvailableCurrent2021-11-23
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, ChewableSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryAvailableCurrent2023-07-14
Belladonna and Opium SuppositorySuppositoryPadagis US LLCAnalgesia/Addiction—To Be Discontinued2026-07-23
Hydromorphone Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnalgesia/AddictionAvailableCurrent2017-10-31
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, ChewableSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryAvailableCurrent2023-07-14
Hydromorphone Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnalgesia/AddictionAvailableCurrent2017-10-31
Morphine Sulfate SuppositorySuppositoryPadagis US LLCAnalgesia/Addiction—To Be Discontinued2026-07-23
Dobutamine Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyCardiovascularUnavailableCurrent2017-11-06
Methotrexate Sodium InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyRheumatologyAvailableCurrent2023-03-13
Midazolam Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnesthesiaLimitedCurrent2020-04-02
Bupivacaine Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnesthesiaAvailableCurrent2018-02-20
Podophyllum Resin Topical TincturePadagis US LLCDermatology—To Be Discontinued2026-07-23
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate CapsuleCapsuleSun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.PsychiatryLimitedCurrent2023-07-14
Midazolam Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnesthesiaAvailableCurrent2020-04-02
Dopamine Hydrochloride InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyCardiovascularAvailableCurrent2017-11-06
Morphine Sulfate InjectionInjectionHospira, Inc., a Pfizer CompanyAnalgesia/AddictionUnavailableCurrent2017-10-31
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Data: U.S. FDA openFDA drug/shortages API, which lists activeshortages (Current or To Be Discontinued) — it carries no per-record cause field, so SPEQ makes no root-cause claim on individual drugs; the quality framing above is cited FDA context. openFDA publishes shortage data for drugs only; SPEQ’s cross-industry coverage lives in the recall Explorer(drug, device & food).